Despite several years of silence, it looks like a film adaptation of Call of Duty is finally going to hit theatres on June 30th, 2028. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the announcement was made during CinemaCon 2026 with a statement by producer Rob Kostich, who is also serving as the current head of Activision.
“I told everyone we were only going to make a movie if it’s right. In David Ellison, we found that partnership,” he said. “We want to make sure that the authenticity of it is captured on a human level so that it feels really real and infuse that with epic scope.”
The adaptation is being headed up with TV creator Taylor Sheridan – known for Sicario, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, and Yellowstone – as screenwriter alongside Pete Berg. The latter is also working as the movie’s director. Both are producers on the project as well, along with 101 Studios’ David Glasser.
Rumblings of Call of Duty getting adapted into a movie have been going around for several years. Reports from as far back as 2017 have indicated that Activision Blizzard was in talks to create movies based on the Black Ops and Modern Warfare sub-franchises under the larger Call of Duty umbrella.
“We have plotted out many years. We put together this group of writers to talk about where we were going,” said the at-the-time co-president of Activision Blizzard Studios, Stacey Sher, in an interview. “There’ll be a film that feels more like Black Ops, the story behind the story. The Modern Warfare series looks at what it’s like to fight a war with the eyes of the world on you. And then maybe something that is more of a hybrid, where you are looking at private, covert operations, while a public operation is going on.”
As for the upcoming adaptation, no other details have been revealed. With the release date set, however, we can be certain that plans are likely in place to begin filming by the end of the year, with post-production wrapping up by the end of 2027. The story itself will likely draw on Sheridan’s experience in working on projects that involve intense, high-octane action punctuated with long, drawn-out scenes that build up tension, much like Sicario.
On the gaming side of things, the most recent entry in the franchise was Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which saw a negative reception due to many factors. With the year moving along, however, rumors have already started popping up about what the next entry might entail. One such rumor from earlier this month has indicated that this year’s entry will be a new one in the Modern Warfare series, as a follow-up to 2023’s Modern Warfare 3. Just months after the title’s release, reports had already indicated that the next Modern Warfare was “already well into development” thanks to the commercial success of the series.
Another report from earlier this month has also indicated that Call of Duty could be taken off the Game Pass line-up, with Microsoft seemingly prioritizing “more niche and PC-focused” outings.
